Spotify just announced its first ever hardware – but you can’t buy it

Spotify has announced its first ever piece of hardware and it’s the oft-speculated about voice-controlled music device for your car.

The Car Thing, as Spotify has dubbed it, is a voice-controlled music and podcast device and is designed as a test to help the firm “learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts.”

The company says it is testing the device and doesn’t have any plans to offer it to consumers, so no-one can buy it. However it says “the learnings from our test will dictate how we develop experiences everywhere you listen.”

This isn’t going to the only device we can expect to see from Spotify either. The firm admitted it may have plans for a Voice Thing and a Home Thing in the near future.

“Americans spend 70 billion hours behind the wheel each year. That’s a lot of time spent on the road,” the company wrote in a blog post on Friday.

“So what you do—and what you listen to—to help you get through those long hours in the car matters. That’s why Spotify is trying to learn more about people’s listening habits and preferences to help create an unparalleled experience for our users.”

Spotify has seemingly ruled out the prospect of a consumer release for any of these products, but we’re not sure why. The dedicated device enables hands-free music streaming for drivers without requiring a CarPlay of Android Auto vehicle. That certainly counts for something, in this climate, right?

Spotify is seeking ways to halt the rise of Apple Music as it challenges the global lead build up by the streaming pioneer. Offering the device for sale would seem like a solid way of keeping consumers with the firm, but it doesn’t appear to be on the cards at this juncture. What do you think? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.

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